Israel claims World Central Kitchen worker killed in airstrike was involved in Hamas October 7 attack

2 December 2024, 09:05

By EJ Ward

An Israeli airstrike on a car in the Gaza Strip on Saturday killed five people, including employees of charity World Central Kitchen (WCK).

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the target of the strike had taken part in the 7 October attacks on Israel and was currently employed by the WCK.

In an email, WCK expressed it was “heartbroken” by the airstrike, stating it had no knowledge of any ties between those in the car and the October 7, 2023, attack, and was “working with incomplete information.” It announced a pause in its operations in Gaza.

Earlier this year, WCK suspended its aid efforts in Gaza after an Israeli airstrike killed seven of its workers, most of whom were foreign nationals.

The Israeli military, in a statement, claimed the alleged October 7 attacker had been employed by WCK and called on “senior officials from the international community and the WCK administration to clarify” how this had occurred.

The conflict in Gaza continued as a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah appeared to be holding, despite occasional incidents testing its stability. On Saturday, Israel reported striking Hezbollah weapons smuggling sites near Syria’s border with Lebanon.

Read more: UN halts aid deliveries via main route into Gaza amid gang looting threat as experts raise famine fears

Read more: World Central Kitchen pauses Gaza work after 3 killed in Israeli strike which IDF says killed October 7 terrorist

The strike on the vehicle was the latest in what aid agencies have described as the dangerous work of delivering aid in Gaza, where the war has sparked a humanitarian crisis that has displaced much of the territory's 2.3 million population and triggered widespread hunger.

World Central Kitchen provides meals to those affected by natural disasters or conflict and has served as a critical lifeline for residents in Gaza struggling to access food.

Palestinian health official Muneer Alboursh confirmed the strike, and an aid worker in Gaza stated that three of the deceased were WCK workers.

The aid worker, who requested anonymity due to not being authorised to speak to the media, provided the information.

At Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, a woman displayed an employee badge with the WCK logo, the word “contractor,” and the name of one of the individuals reportedly killed in the strike.

On the hospital floor lay personal belongings, including burned phones, a watch, and stickers bearing the WCK logo.

Nazmi Ahmed said his nephew, a WCK employee for the past year, had been driving to the organisation’s kitchens and warehouses.

“Today, he went out as usual to work … and was targeted without prior warning and without any reason,” Mr Ahmed stated.

In April, an airstrike on a WCK aid convoy killed seven workers, including three British nationals, along with Polish, Australian, Canadian-American, and Palestinian staff. The Israeli military later called that strike a mistake.

The incident led to international condemnation and the temporary suspension of aid to Gaza by several organisations, including WCK.

In August, another WCK worker in Gaza was killed by shrapnel from an Israeli airstrike, according to the group.

Separately, on Saturday, another Israeli airstrike hit a car near a food distribution point in Khan Younis, killing 13 people, including children waiting for aid. Nasser Hospital received their bodies.

The war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas’ October 2023 attack, which killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and resulted in approximately 250 hostages being taken.

Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 44,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and combatants in their count but say more than half the dead were women and children.